Father okays daughter's rape

An art teacher in Hwange, Zimbabwe, has been jailed for 15 years and abandoned by his wife after he raped her younger sister who has learning difficulties between 2010 and 2015.

His father-in-law, who resides in Nyanga in Manicaland, defended him saying he didn't rape his 'useless' daughter but was culturally allowed to have sex with a wife's younger sister.

"There is nothing wrong in my son-in-law having sex with his wife's younger sister. Culturally, he is allowed to have sex and even marry her.

"Besides, whether the sex was consensual or not, my daughter is just useless and you can't arrest him for having sex with her," said the victim's father.

Timire, who was also dumped by lawyer Tonderai Mukuku halfway through trial, had pleaded not guilty to rape claiming the charges were fabricated.

He accused his wife's elder sister of jealously lying against him.

"We had consensual sex with the victim and it's not true that she is mentally challenged. She is the one to blame because she came to my room [with no clothes on] and entered my blankets as she forced me into sex.

"I blame this on her sister who resides in Bulawayo, she is jealous of me and fabricated the rape charges and faked that the victim is mentally ill," said Timire in his defence.

The magistrate sentenced him to 15 years in jail and suspended two years on condition of good behaviour.

Timire and his wife stayed with the victim at Gebbuza High School in Hwange where he was an Arts teacher but was dismissed after the arrest.

The wife suspected that her husband was abusing her young sister and investigated.

"In September at midnight Timire sneaked into the victim's bedroom and raped her. Unbeknown to him, his wife was hiding under the bed and witnessed the rape," said Sigauke.

Instead, the woman concealed the rape and Timire continued to abuse the victim between January 2011 and August 2011.

He would rape the victim each time his wife wasn't around or would sneak into her room while the wife was sleeping in her bedroom.

The matter came to light when the victim relocated to Bulawayo to stay with her elder sister and revealed the matter to her.